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“Well, they sure seemed to come easy when we spent all that time talking. And what about our conversation last night? The one where you said you loved your job? Well, if you loved it so much, then you wouldn’t have had the need to escape it.”
She shut her eyes tight, and tears spilled down her cheeks. His heart crumbled even more, turning into dust within his chest. What he wouldn’t give to be able to tear down the wallsthat had shot around him at the moment he’d realized who she was. He wished he could wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. Still, after she’d betrayed him, he wanted to protect her—even if it meant protecting her from himself.
But he couldn’t.
“I know it doesn’t make sense, but if you’d let me explain.”
“There’s nothing left to explain.” Caleb felt numb. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t feel any part of his body. It was as if he was floating with nothing to rein him in. “You wanted an escape from your life, and you got one. You came to my town—myhome—and got to play pretend for a few weeks. You got to experience what it’s like to be a real cowgirl—none of that country singer nonsense. And now that you’ve got your fix, you can turn right around and go back to that life.”
“Caleb, please don’t?—”
He shoved the crumpled piece of paper at her, suddenly remembering that it was in his hand. “I finished the song for you. Do whatever you want with it. I don’t want it anymore.” Caleb pulled open the truck door, and this time Emma jumped out of the way to allow him to get inside. He started it and rolled down his window. “I’ll ask you one more time. Why did you drag it out so long? Why not tell me that first night when we…” His voice was lodged in his throat, and he couldn’t bring himself to mention their kiss or the intimate moments they’d shared.
Dang it! There was still a part of him that wanted her—not that it would do her any good. He’d washed his hands of her the moment he’d realized the truth. Even still, he wanted to hear her say it—to hear her confess that she had feelings for him that ran deep, just like his.
She didn’t meet his gaze. Her eyes were locked on the paper she held, her fingers rubbing the edges as she stood before him looking beaten and defeated.
“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”
Emma shook her head, her breath shuddering when she took in a deep one before she exhaled. “I don’t know.”
Caleb hated the way those three words stabbed at him, gouging him in ways that he had never thought possible. She couldn’t even admit that she didn’t have feelings for him. Not only was she a liar, but she was also a coward. She was every bit the person he’d claimed her to be when he hadn’t realized who he was speaking to. His anger and frustration returned, and it took all his strength to shove it down into the darkest part of himself.
“If I were you, I’d get going. As soon as I’m gone, I would wager that my little sister is going to come out here and demand an autograph or something. Seeing as you were so careful not to get caught before now, I’m guessing you’ve decided your trip is over.”
“I’m leaving in two days,” she said quietly.
“If you ask me, that’s not nearly soon enough.”
She flinched.
“I suppose that’s it then.”
Emma lifted her tear-filled eyes.
“You came here to break things off with me.” It wasn’t a question. Somehow, he’d known this was going to happen, but he simply couldn’t have foreseen these exact circumstances. He’d imagined that she’d come to him and tell him it was a fling but that her old life called back to her. He’d thought that she might even break up via text message. He’d considered all sorts of scenarios—stressed over them until he’d lost so much sleep that he couldn’t see straight the next morning.
Nothing came close to this revelation.
“I don’t ever want to see you again,” Caleb bit out.
“That goes for both of us.” Emma’s fist tightened around the crumpled paper, and she stomped off toward the car she’d driven.
He watched her through his mirror, waiting for her to start the car and drive away. Before he had a chance to make his own mistake and change his mind, Charlie materialized at his window. She tapped on the glass, her expression so gleeful, she looked younger than her nineteen years of age. She hopped from one foot to the other, and he groaned before rolling the window down once more. “What do you want, Charlie?”
“That’s who you’ve been so gaga over? Emma Hart? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t know.”
“How could you not know? She’s everywhere.”
“Apparently, I live under a rock,” he snapped, causing his baby sister to jump back in surprise. He dragged a hand down his face. “I hate to break it to you, but she’s not staying long. She came here to break things off before she headed home.”
Charlie’s disappointment was almost more heartbreaking than the conversation with Emma had been—almost. Her frown deepened as she turned back toward him. “Are you okay?”
Momentarily taken aback, Caleb couldn’t answer right away. Then he gave a short nod. “I’m fine.”
She nodded too. “Okay. I’m going to go back inside now.”
